Unlike many recent Dallas mayoral forums, Monday's gathering, hosted by the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, focused on a relatively narrow set of issues, including immigration reform, education and the participation of minorities in municipal government.

Crime, the campaign's prevailing issue, was barely mentioned. But the candidates addressed these issues with frequency:

If the candidates rallied around one point, it was that the city of Farmers Branch is wrong in attempting to battle illegal immigration by passing local ordinances. Each Dallas mayoral candidate argued that addressing illegal immigration is not a local matter. And, to some degree, each one expressed support for federal immigration reform.

"It divides the community. It will induce endless litigation, expensive litigation. They will learn what a big mistake they made out there," lawyer Darrell Jordan said of Farmer Branch.

"Dallas is one of the great cities of America. It clearly is not Farmers Branch," banker and former Mayor Pro Tem Max Wells said.

"I wouldn't be supportive of anything like a Farmers Branch," Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill said.

"If there's ever a model to not follow, it's what we've got there," District 9 City Council member Gary Griffith said.

District 3 City Council member Ed Oakley said he could never imagine that five council members – the minimum number needed to put an item on a council agenda – would ever put a Farmers Branch-style item before the Dallas City Council. "If they were to collect the signatures to do that, I would be the one leading the charge to make sure that it was defeated," Mr. Oakley said.

"It's a federal issue that should be dealt with on a federal basis," former Turner Corp. chairman and chief executive officer Tom Leppert said.

Several of the candidates continued their running spat over the role Dallas City Hall should play in educational affairs.

Mr. Griffith touted his effort to initiate joint, quarterly Dallas City Council-Dallas Independent School Board meetings. "I don't view that as us and them. I view education as a community issue and a community responsibility," he said.

"The mayor can do an awful lot in terms of education. Unless we do, all of our other efforts will be for naught," Mr. Leppert said.

Playing on his campaign's touchstone theme, Mr. Hill gave the issue an economic flavor: "Job creation plus wage increase equals more and better opportunity" for education, he said.

But Mr. Jordan, who has criticized some of the candidates desire to more deeply involve the city in educational affairs, panned the ideas, suggesting DISD "doesn't need interference by another political body."

Mr. Jordan also criticized Mr. Leppert for commenting last month that a DISD school didn't have running water – an assertion that some DISD officials have disputed.

"My point is you can't help the schools by saying things like that and causing disrespect to come to the schools," Mr. Jordan said.

Mr. Leppert said his company "was the leader in the industry" in providing contracts to minority-owned businesses – $1 billion in the last two years. "It's not just the dollars. Those dollars build businesses," he said.

But Mr. Hill, while not mentioning Mr. Leppert by name, challenged his commitment.

"You have to be careful about what they say they have done. I'm still trying to find some of the construction firms," Mr. Hill said.

The candidates, none of whom is Hispanic, frequently touted their ties with the Hispanic community.

Mr. Leppert, for example, boasted that he is the only candidate with a Spanish-language version of his Web site.

"Our Web site was designed by a Hispanic contractor," Mr. Wells said.

Mr. Griffith noted that he was the only candidate present to hire a Hispanic campaign manager.

Mr. Jordan noted his son-in-law's last name is "Rodriguez."

For his part, Mr. Oakley listed several Hispanic Dallasites he has named to city boards and commissions.

The lone Hispanic candidate on the 11-person Dallas mayoral ballot, lawyer Roger Herrera, wasn't present at Monday's forum. Also not present: West Dallas Chamber of Commerce President John Cappello, former airline executive Sam Coats, homeless political activist Jennifer Gale and real estate developer Edward Okpa. ... About 75 people attended the candidate forum, the first of several such forums scheduled this week as the campaign's pace continues to increase ahead of the May 12 general election.